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Lack of detail in GO terminal announcement worrisome says Harris

September 30, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 30, 2014

Lack of detail in GO terminal announcement worrisome says Harris

Ontario taxpayers deserve oversight and clarity before the rubber hits the road

Queen’s Park – Official Opposition Transportation Critic Michael Harris says the lack of detail on a major agreement that will see Metrolinx partner with Ivanhoé Cambridge to build a new downtown Toronto GO Bus terminal leaves too many unanswered questions.

“Here we go again…as Ontarians we’ve learned with this Liberal government that looks can be deceiving, and when it comes to real estate arrangements with the private sector we’ve seen multi-million‎ dollar blunders of MaRS-like proportions,” the Kitchener-Conestoga MPP warned. “The Wynne government has a history of failing to exercise due diligence – we will have to watch this carefully to ensure government lack of oversight doesn’t stick Ontario taxpayers with the bill once more.”

While paving the way for a 2.7 million square foot office complex, a new GO Bus terminal and an elevated park, this morning’s announced agreement provided no details on financial commitments whatsoever.

“Given the well-established Liberal track record, I fear the devil will be in the details – details that government has failed to provide,” noted Harris. “We’ve heard that they are planning to use revenue from the sale of the current GO bus station to pay for the new one – so how much are we selling it for and how much are we paying? These are very basic questions and we need answers before we move any further down this road.”

Harris says he looks forward to having the Minister of Transportation in Estimates Committee later this month to demand oversight and full financial details for a new deal that could have wide-ranging implications for years to come.